Chapter 99: Lei Qing, Strip

“Xianyu Bao, is this a place for you to speak?” Dual-Hammer Yuchi Kou, the vice commander of the Elite Regiment, raised his eyebrows and scolded, “Why don’t you sit down quickly?”

Although Xianyu Bao was from the Free Alliance, his ancestral home was in the nomadic tribes of the Huer Prairie. He had always had a fiery temper. At this moment, it was as if his fiery nature had been provoked as he said, “Vice Commander, it was Mr. Gongyang who asked just now if anyone had any objections, so I came out to speak. Do you mean to say that even though I clearly have objections in my heart, I am not allowed to speak?”

Yuchi Kou was furious and was just about to speak. However, Xiahou Huan waved his hand and said, “Let him speak. Our Iron Cavalry Regiment is a brotherhood, not a place where one person calls the shots. Xianyu Bao, if you have an opinion, just speak it out, and we will consider it.”

“Regiment Commander, I know this kid named Lei is your nephew, and you want to promote him. But, you have to take the feelings of us old members into consideration, right? I, Xianyu Bao, have been the captain of the Second Battalion of the Elite Regiment for several years. I have worked diligently for the regiment; even if I have no great merits, I have put in hard work. Even if we are building the Ninth Regiment, the candidate should be chosen from the old members, right? Lei Qing is a newcomer with absolutely no seniority. Making him a vice commander is already a promotion.” Xianyu Bao spoke carelessly and righteously. His purpose was self-evident.

“Mhm, I understand.” Xiahou Huan nodded seriously, then looked around and said, “Besides Xianyu Bao, who else wants to compete for the position of the Ninth Regiment commander? Rest assured, we are all brothers. Even if you want to compete, not only will I not blame you, I will be very pleased. You all know my character; I mean what I say and will never hold a grudge later.”

As a result, two more people stood up from the crowd. They were Dong Huai’an and Liang Yu. Both were not old, around thirty, with Early-stage Silver strength. They were both outstanding figures in the Iron Cavalry Regiment, currently serving as vice commanders of the Second Regiment and Fourth Regiment respectively. Seeing this opportunity, they tried to come out and compete for the position of the Ninth Regiment commander.

“Good, it is a good thing to have ambition.” Xiahou Huan praised, then said, “Since there is more than one candidate, we will follow the old rules. Ranking by seniority is not the style of our Iron Cavalry Regiment. Good positions naturally belong to the capable. Let’s go to the drill ground and see who is stronger.”

Such a straightforward and fair method made most of the people present cheer loudly. This way, no matter who became the commander of the Ninth Regiment, no one would be dissatisfied.

Xiahou Huan had expected this long ago, but he still had great confidence in Lei Qing. Although he had just advanced to Silver, before his advancement, he was able to fight Zong Wuji of the Blood Hawk Sect equally and even left him with one less hand. He believed that his sworn brother’s son could absolutely not be a useless coward who only looked good on the outside.

“Boss, I heard Brother Lei just had a bloody battle with the Blood Hawk yesterday and was injured. I don’t know…” Shentu Xue chimed in.

“Little Xue, don’t worry. Lei Qing advanced after the bloody battle, and most of his injuries have healed. With Miss Li’s Eternal Spring Secret Art helping to treat him, there should be no serious issue.” Xiahou Huan waved his hand indifferently and said, “As long as it’s not a death match, a spar is absolutely no problem.”

“Giggle, isn’t Miss Li a captive? She’s helping Brother Lei heal his injuries and attended the welcome dinner last night. What kind of drama is this?” Shentu Xue glanced at Lei Qing with her beautiful eyes.

“Haha, being handsome really pays off. Pretty boys are so popular.” Dual-Hammer Yuchi Kou laughed loudly, “Little Xue, you also look like you’re drooling over Brother Lei, wishing you could eat him up? You women are so strange. What’s so good about a pretty boy? Look at me, old Yuchi. Although I’m not handsome, I’m practical and fierce. Little Xue, do you want to consider this old ox of mine? Sturdy and durable.”

“Pei, with your ugly face?” Shentu Xue didn’t blush at all. She put her hands on her waist and spat, “You’re too rough to even wash my feet. Get as far away as you can. Go to the brothel and find your old flame for comfort.”

Seeing Yuchi Kou getting shut down, everyone burst into laughter. With a great clamor, they crowded around the four candidates for the Ninth Regiment commander and left the meeting hall, heading straight for the drill ground.

The soldiers and generals training on the drill ground temporarily put down their training tasks when they heard there was a good show to watch and crowded around the area.

As Lei Qing passed by, he observed the soldiers and officers around him. He discovered that the Iron Cavalry Regiment truly lived up to its reputation; it was very powerful. Black Iron-rank strong soldiers were everywhere. Their spirit and aura far exceeded the ordinary soldiers Lei Qing had seen. Even many soldiers who hadn’t cultivated to the Black Iron-rank had impressive auras, revealing a fierce and courageous air.

At the front of the drill ground, a large group of fierce soldiers with an aura that seemed to twist into a single rope stood there like a wall. They all crossed their arms and stared at Lei Qing with unfriendly eyes.

He had heard last night that the Iron Cavalry Regiment had an Elite Regiment. It didn’t have many people, only about four hundred, but even the weakest among them was Black Iron-rank, and there was no lack of Bronze-rank experts. It was divided into four battalions, and every battalion captain was at the Early-stage Silver level.

This group was obviously one of those battalions, most likely the one led by Xianyu Bao. Lei Qing was not afraid at all as he walked forward firmly, step by step.

“Are you that newcomer with connections?” Several fierce and unruly Black Iron-rank soldiers curled their lips and mocked, “Look at this kid, all pale and tender, just like a second-generation rich kid. Why did he come to our Iron Cavalry Regiment to mooch off us?”

“Don’t you understand? Our Iron Cavalry Regiment has a big reputation, and every one of us is a tough man. I don’t know how many young women out there are thinking about us. This kid obviously came here to gild his reputation so he’ll have something to brag about when coaxing women in the future.”

“Damn, isn’t that tarnishing our reputation?”

“This kind of person actually wants to compete with our battalion captain for the Ninth Regiment commander? Are you kidding? I think he’s more suitable to be a pretty boy or a toy boy for someone. Haha. Brothers, take off your clothes and let this creamy pretty boy see what a real man looks like.”

A group of fierce soldiers took off their armor and clothes, revealing their muscular bodies. There were occasional tattoos and scars, making them look full of menacing energy.

One by one, they stood with their heads high and chests out, blocking Lei Qing’s way, proud of their robustness and scars. In the Iron Cavalry Regiment, if you hadn’t been wounded in battle, you’d be too embarrassed to lift your head and greet people as a fierce soldier.

“Hey, hey, you’re bullying people, right? So what if you have a lot of scars?”

A crisp voice sounded, somewhat angry. Lei Qing turned his head and was surprised to see Li Baobao, wearing new clothes, walking over while holding Zuo Qianqian’s hand.

“Why are you here?” Lei Qing whispered, “This is the headquarters of the Iron Cavalry Regiment. Outsiders can’t come in.”

“Tch, so what if it’s the headquarters of the Iron Cavalry Regiment? I go in and out of the Eternal Life Palace headquarters whenever I want.” Li Baobao curled her lips and sneered, “Don’t worry, I asked the steward of the Xiahou Manor to bring me in. He said you came for a meeting early in the morning, probably to discuss joining the Iron Cavalry Regiment. So, I brought Qianqian to support you. I didn’t expect to see you being bullied as soon as I arrived.”

One big and one small, two unfamiliar beauties entered the drill ground, immediately attracting the attention of the men inside.

Lei Qing broke into a sweat. Are you two here to support me or to ruin my reputation? I’m not really a useless pretty boy who needs two women to help me stand up for myself. Won’t this make people laugh?

“Haha, this is killing us with laughter.” The group of shirtless soldiers mocked to the extreme, “Old Wolf, you were right. This kid is more suitable to be a pretty boy for a rich woman. And he dares to compete with our battalion captain for the commander position? Relying on women to stand up for him, how impressive. Haha, go home early and drink milk from your wife.”

Including Xiahou Huan and other mid-to-high-level officers, although they saw this scene, they did not step forward to help. Instead, they deliberately watched from the side, wanting to see how Lei Qing would handle this situation. If he couldn’t even handle a few Black Iron-rank troublemakers, even Xiahou Huan would reconsider whether it was appropriate to place Lei Qing in the position of regiment commander.

These words made Li Baobao quite angry again. Her beautiful eyes filled with anger as she spoke up for Lei Qing, “Lei Qing, this Iron Cavalry Regiment is bullying people. They are all crude and filthy. They even make you fight for the position of commander. Why not join our Chamber of Commerce? I’ll let you lead the Personal Guard Regiment.”

Lei Qing started sweating even more, thinking to himself, “Auntie, I appreciate your kindness, but please go rest on the side. You don’t understand a man’s pride.”

Sure enough, Li Baobao’s words caused a wave of boos and laughter. Several shirtless soldiers slapped their chests and howled provocatively.

“Hey, hey, are scars such a big deal? Is having muscles such a big deal? Lei Qing, strip.”

…